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Book Review

Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies of the Lower South

by Marc C. Minno and Maria Minno

Marc and Maria Minno's new book, Florida Butterfly Gardening, is a complete reference for southern gardeners who wish to understand and identify butterflies and attract them to their gardens. This is a book for butterfly gardeners anywhere in the southern US; and it's a book about butterfly identification, life history, behavior, habitats, and distribution for all naturalists, be they gardeners or not. More than 70 species of butterflies and skippers and 12 species of moths are treated with detailed descriptions and beautiful color photographs of adults, larvae, and pupae, and sections on field marks, natural history, host plants (with more color photographs), distribution, and habitats. The zebra swallowtail, for example, is illustrated with color photographs of the tops and bottoms of spring and of summer adults (both males and females), an adult feeding on butterflyweed, a pair mating, four different forms of the caterpillars, two differently-colored pupae, and two different species of pawpaw, the caterpillar host plant. In all there are more than 400 color photographs and, an additional treat, six original paintings by wildlife artist Diane Pierce.

Included in this beautiful book are chapters on planning and planting a butterfly garden and recommend plants for wet, dry, or shady areas. The plant chapter is not just a list, but includes descriptions, natural distributions, cultivation tips and availability of the plants. A chapter on resources lists butterfly societies, public butterfly displays and gardens, gardening clubs, gardening magazines, plant suppliers, and books, brochures and videos on butterflies, butterfly gardening, plant identification and landscaping. A special feature for parents and teachers is a chapter with hands-on science projects using the butterfly garden as an outdoor classroom. Finally, there is a checklist of all Florida butterflies. This is probably the best butterfly gardening book available.

Marc C. Minno is a biologist and the author of Butterflies of the Florida Keys. Maria Minno is an environmental consultant and educator and co-author of Handbook to Schoolyard Plants and Animals of North Central Florida.

Steve Christman 5/26/00